Nebraska’s bird flu epidemic causes the death of approximately 1.8 million chickens
Officials from Nebraska’s agriculture department say that another 1.8 million chickens need to be killed following the discovery of bird flu on a Nebraska farm. This is the latest indication that the disease that has caused the death of over 50 million birds in the United States continues.
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced Saturday that it had discovered the 13th case of bird influenza in Nebraska. It was at Dixon County, Nebraska, which is 120 miles north of Omaha.
As on other farms with bird flu It was found in this yearTo stop the spread of the disease, all chickens from the Nebraska farm will be slaughtered. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says more than 52.3 million birds in 46 states — mostly chickens and turkeys on commercial farms — have been slaughtered as part of this year’s outbreak.
Nebraska is second to Iowa with 15.5 million birds that were killed and 6.8 million birds affected at 13 farms.
The bird flu virus has been largely eradicated in the summer. However, this year’s outbreak caused the virus to linger and began to make a comeback with 6 million birds being killed in September.
Wild birds are the main vectors of the virus as they move across the country. The disease can be carried by wild birds without displaying symptoms. The virus can spread through droppings and nasal discharge from infected birds, which can cause soil contamination.
While commercial farms have taken several steps to avoid the virus infecting their flocks, such as asking workers to change after entering barns and cleaning trucks before they enter the farm, the disease can be very difficult to control. To protect their birds, zoos have taken precautions and closed certain exhibits.
Officials claim there is no risk to human health because cases of the virus in humans are rare and infected birds are not allowed to enter the country’s food supply. Properly cooking poultry at 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill any virus.
However, the bird flu epidemic has contributed to rising chicken and turkey prices as well as the skyrocketing cost of fuel and feed.